Memory of Dreams, Promises Unforgotten
by AmaranthDream
Summary: Feelings both Zack and Aerith kept pent up for each other after years of separation could finally find rest when they are reunited in the Lifestream. This tells the time they both spent until the day when they give aid to Cloud once more. -on hiatus-
1. Chapter 1: Reunion

**Chapter 1: Reunion**

"Helloooooooo"

"U…Uh…."

"Helloooooooo"

The brown haired maiden opened her eyes and blinked at the brightness of her surroundings, but not for long. A dark shadow loomed on top of her, blocking out all the rays of light that sought to pour into her iris all in a time. She blinked longer this once, and opened her eyes slowly, her vision finally adjusting itself to the new surrounding.

"Hey, you okay?" The voice was coming from the dark shadow overhead, its form slowly revealed by the light. She stifled a tiny gasp as she made out the person now bathed in the warm glow. It was the one person she has been waiting for since the past 5 years, a presence she was sure she had lost but never forgotten. "I see you wore a pink dress after all, haha" The man smirked as he lowered himself to the ground.

"Zack…" Aerith smiled, half by force, half in happiness as she tried to hold back her tears. All those years, all the accumulated pain of the past gushed forth in the sudden rush of mixed emotions. She reached out one hand towards her face, so as to wipe the tears that managed to spill out of her eyes but it was caught by a larger one. Before she could react further, another hand reached for her back and straightened her to a sitting position. Zack's guilt-ridden face, also imbued with a hint of sadness was directly in front hers as he appeared as if trying hard to come up with a proper line to comfort her. The hand that Zack caught was now held tightly in his while the other still rested on her back.

"Sorry…"

Aerith could no longer hold back her tears as she was pulled into a tight embrace, feeling the arms of the man she once loved and will always love wrapped around her brought her reassurance that they are finally reunited. The embrace was long and tight, as if trying to repay all that was supposed to be, once, long before this reunion. Zack did not shed a tear but wore an expression that was terribly ridden by pain. "Sorry I couldn't keep my promise to you, but I tried…" He released her to look at her tear-stained face, cupped it in his hands and attempts to wipe the stains away. He is hiding his pain, Aerith thought.

"Don't be silly" She smiled.

"Huh?" He appeared dazed as Aerith cupped his face with her tiny hands.

"I… know you did" Having said that, she wrapped her arms around Zack's neck and embraced him, like how she used to once, long ago, in the sanctuary of the church.

Zack returned her embrace and the two stayed longer in each other's arms, making up for time once lost. "But I was watching from here"

"Really?"

"Yeah, there's so much I want to tell you but… staying like this for a longer time isn't such a bad idea" Zack muttered into Aerith's braid as he strengthened his embrace.

"I missed you… Zack. Welcome back"


	2. Chapter 2: Fragments of Memories

**Chapter 2: Fragments of Memories**

"You never did get the letters I sent you.. did you?" The single most important question Aerith has been meaning to ask a few years back slipped right through her lips. "I wonder where Tseng's keeping them…"

The both of them decided to take a little stroll out of the Lifestream since the Lifestream isn't much of an interesting place to be hanging out in. Zack was lying comfortably on his back in a field of flowers, with Aerith not too far beside him, both staring at the blue sky.

"Only the 89th, which led me to my demise" Zack slipped a grin and a sideways glance towards Aerith. What greeted him was silence as he continued to stare at the petite figure lying beside him, a figure he never thought he would be meeting so soon. She was staring at the sky, eyes of emerald imbued with concern. He looked away, unsure of what to say. It _was_ a _rather_ awkward situation.

"What happened…?" Aerith asked, gaze unmoving.

"Uh…" Zack scratched his head, the way he always does, in Aerith's memories. "That letter came to me when I was fleeing Shinra Mansion, while I was trying to get back to Midgar. It was carried by Angeal's monster copy."

"The one that saved us in the church?" She turned sideaways, taking in his side profile in full.

"Yeah" Zack nodded, and smiled. "Sorry that I never got any of the other letters…"

"I… guess everything's okay now. I… didn't know what to do anymore at the time. I was so worried. You promised you'd come back but… 4 years is a long time" Aerith buried her hand into Zack's hair.

"Aerith…" Zack stared back at Aerith with a dejected look. "Did you… Are you with someone else now?"

Aerith only let out a bittersweet smile. "I… wonder" Seeing Zack's reaction made her add "I want to know what happened to you those years…"

"Oh, right." Zack managed a smile as he started his tale. "You must have heard of the Nibelheim Incident then. Sephiroth and I were assigned to the area, along with Cloud." He stole a quick glance at Aerith upon mentioning his best friend's name, eager to see a change in expression. Sure enough, her eyes did betray her as they widened slightly. He continued.

"Cloud and I were caught by Hojo for his freaky experiments, I managed to break out of confinement without realizing that 4 years has passed. Cloud was suffering from Mako poisoning and I figured it best to leave the area as soon as possible." He held back from telling her it was his memories of her that urged him to return in the shortest time allowed. He smiled. "I still had things to settle and after that… I received your letter."

At this Zack sat up. "To tell you the truth, I was really mad. Mad at how Shinra was treating its personnels, SOLDIERs, human lives. And to take away 4 years of my life just like that… I couldn't even accomplish what I'd promised to do. Then I knew I had to get back to Midgar. Get back to you." He turned his head around and smiled smugly at her. "Before you forget how I look like."

Aerith could only smile.

"During our last ride to Midgar, not too far out, we were cornered. So I figured it best to make sure of Cloud's safety. I did all I could and gave up my life in the end. Sorry…" Zack bowed his head to the ground. "But, I was happy to see Cloud was alright, so I handed him my sword, my dreams… and my honour."

Aerith listened; impressed by the story she is finally enlightened with. "Is that why Cloud assumed your identity when I first met him? I almost convinced myself it was you in another person's body…" Aerith looked at the ground. "But he's not you…"

"Despite all that, he's real. Mako can deal a lot of change to a man," Zack nodded and smiled as he looked Aerith straight in the eye. "He's a cool guy. You sure you have no feelings for Cloud? Cause I'd perfectly understand" Zack gave a smirk again, but one discretely woven with pain and hesitation. The question was out. It was all or nothing.

Hearing what was said, Aerith burst into giggles. "Hahaha"

"Hey, what's so funny…? I-I'm…" Zack stuttered and stop, having failed to get the proper words out. Why is it always her that makes him this way? Being with her always has this effect. The stutters, the nervousness. Light, she does have a huge impact on him.

"Are you… jealous?" Aerith pushed her face closer to Zack's, leaving only inches between their noses, green staring into blue, blue staring into green. She broke into a smile. Even that, feels familiar.

"I-I… Of course I am!" Zack, turned away. "I wouldn't want my girl falling for my best friend. But, I want you to be happy. I told you I was watching… Couldn't really sleep with all the racket about and Sephiroth."

Something in their way of communication relived those memories of things that once were. It brought a strange sense of warmth and belonging in Aerith. A feeling she has long awaited for, without her knowing it. At that moment, she knew. After all those lonely years wrought with anxiety, pain and false hope, she finally realized. It was not the one with the blonde-hair that she has been having growing interest on but rather the familiar sense of belonging she felt from him. How did she fail to notice it was always another 'him' she was reminded of. She knew she could only belong in a particular place. And that place was…

"I am happy" Aerith placed her hands into his. "I am happy now… Zack. You're… not going anywhere anymore… right? You're.. free"

Zack stared wide-eyed at Aerith and smiled, returning her words with a squeeze of his hand on hers. "Yeah, maybe now's the best time to fulfill your 23 luxuries"

She buried her head into his chest, feeling the warmth she has been looking for all these years. The warmth that was never gone from her heart. A warmth rekindled.

Zack brought her closer in a mild embrace. "Hey… you sure you don't fancy Cloud?"

"Oh you!" She pinched him.

"Ow!"

She giggled. It was the prettiest sound that was once heard during a time long ago, under the shelter that was an old church in the Sector 5 slums. A sound ceased for the following years, only to find its way back again.


	3. Chapter 3: Ship of Regret and Sleep

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank all of you who've read this story of mine and are still following me. Special thanks to those who took their time to review (copperheadfightingninja, GoldenShinyWireofHope and Zelda Sheik), they became the source of support for me to continue even though my schedule is packed and hectic. Thank you very much! ^^/ I'm very sorry for the late late update.. but I hope all of you will enjoy it! ^^/ I'm open to any constructive criticisms and suggestions :)**

**Chapter 3: Ship of Regret and Sleep  
**

"The Lifestream… is so peaceful."

Zack nodded. "Yea."

"But it's not fun at all."

"Hahaha, the excitement's all gone when you're dead. Although, I didn't imagine this is how it feels being dead." He answered Aerith with his hands to waist, flashing her a look that says 'you know'.

"I have a question."

"Fire away."

"Why are you still… here?"

Zack's face fell. "What?" He looked confused and in pain. "Oh, I get it."

"I mean, it's been a year since you've died… isn't it? We're all going to merge with the Lifestream once our time is up. I guessed it was my lineage allowing me to keep this form for a while, but you…"

"Isn't that obvious?" Zack smirked at Aerith's simple question. "I left things unsettled." _So many things unsettled, Aerith… You… Cloud…Shinra… Oh, man. It seems like my troubles never end, haha. _"It's never good to leave things unfinished."

Zack's sudden mix of convoluted thoughts brought forth from a sudden surge of his memories during his life seemed to squeeze themselves altogether into the narrow confines of his brain; his expression turned into one of distraught. But still, he slipped a smile and continued, "And there I was thinking I was finally free." He scratched his head and gazed to the sky.

Aerith found herself gazing softly at her first love, through eyes filled with compassion. Even during their short period of time together, they were never allowed to spend long hours together. Their meetings were always cut short due to an emergency call or monsters appearing in the slums. She had wanted so much to spend more time with him. She believed he did too. He was always the one filled with enthusiasm, pulling her out, and making her feel safe even though he was constantly overloaded with the dirty work Shinra dumped on him. _The work Shinra dumps on their soldiers._ Aerith felt herself unable to suppress the anger she felt towards Shinra.

"I hate Shinra…" Aerith voiced out her thoughts in hushed tones. She couldn't believe how innocent and sheltered a life she had led up to the point she met Cloud. She was already sensing anomalies in the Planet during her time with Zack but never as bad as what was to ensue Zack's disappearance and Cloud's emergence.

"Hey… I should be the one saying that! But…"

"But it's because you were part of it that I came to met you."

Zack suddenly felt as if someone was gripping his heart and squeezing it hard, contemplating whether to squeeze it whole. "Aerith…"

He took a few steps towards her and brought her head to his chest. A gesture he felt familiar. Exactly the one he used on Cloud, before he died. "Shinra's one sick company, Aerith. I never wanted you to get involved but it seemed my hopes were destined to be crushed since Day One."

Zack gently pulled Aerith's head from his chest and making her face upwards so he could see her clearly. There was a slight dampness at either ends of her eyes but he knows she will not permit herself to cry. She's stronger than that. "So here's the plan, we figure out what we're supposed to finish doing, and then we get to sleep. Being an Ancient and a SOLDIER First Class sure is hard, huh?" Zack grinned again and she followed.

"Hmmm" Aerith looked around the area with a slight pout on her lips. "Something should come up soon, Sephiroth's still out there." Her pace continued at the slow pace they originally started out with. "We have to help Cloud when the time comes."

"Yea. Sephiroth's finally gone mad. Look what Shinra got us into. We've got to put a stop to it."

"You mean, Cloud has got to put a stop to it." She corrected him with a mischievous grin. "I'm afraid we can't do anything to Sephiroth except to aid in the destruction of Meteor, Zack."

"Wow, Aerith. It's only a few years since I left you and you're talking about world salvation. What happened to the girl that was so afraid of the sky?" Zack began to tease.

True enough, there was a time when Aerith was afraid of the sky; too afraid to even step out of the slums. That was when they first met. It had been Zack's promise that he will bring her out of the slums to see the sky. It was a promise long ago, a promise that could not be kept. But never once did it slip his mind. During missions he would constantly think of the girl he left back in Midgar and as he witnessed each part of the sky during each different mission that was each a different shade of blue with its different arrangement of clouds, he made a silent promise to bring her along one day.

"Zack..? Is something wrong?"

His thoughts were intercepted and he saw Aerith looking up at him, standing only a few inches apart. "Sorry, did I miss something?"

"I was only saying that the times have changed me. Though, I wish those promises we made could have been fulfilled. Somehow… it wasn't very satisfying, me seeing the sky without you. It just… makes it hurt even more."

"You… remember the promise?"

"You didn't?" Aerith looked disappointed.

"How could I forget?" Zack shrugged. "There were so many different skies out there! I wished I could show every single one of them to you. You know, get a bike, racing through the highway and finding a field of flowers so we could rest in, since you're always so fond of them."

For a moment, Aerith seemed to be marveling at the thoughts of what Zack had just said. But as if another thought got the better of them, her face fell. "It's too late now…" _I've already seen the sky… together with Cloud…_ Aerith could feel something stir within her at the thought of Cloud. She did feel attached to him. He was special to her… But what were those feelings…? Part of her also suspects she has unresolved feelings towards Cloud, a being from the other side. And that was part of what's making her stay. _Was he a brother..? Or a lover…?_ She fixed her eyes on Zack, desperate to find an answer then and there. She knows where her heart belongs. But still…

"Uh…" Are the nerves on his body reacting to her every move? Zack wondered intriguingly as his face fell along with hers. He would do anything for her… to see her smile. He wants so badly to make up for their lost time, for his broken promises still remembered. "It's not too late yet."

"Not too late…?"

"Sure there's no bike but… we went to the flower field. I thought it should be the first place to bring you to. We can go anywhere we want to for now. Of course, while we figure out what we're actually supposed to do," Zack smiled confidently as he extended his hands to Aerith. "Plus side, no emergency phone calls for me, no monsters. Down side, it's kind of sad when we only get to do this in peace when we're both dead." Zack tried to suppress his laughter.

"Hmm…" Aerith's eyes narrowed for an instant before she smiled again. "That sounds… fun enough."

"So, where should we head to?"

"I… want to show you the flowers I sold down at the slums. It's always been my wish." Aerith placed her hand into Zack's and the both of them vanished into the light.


End file.
